Police criticised by Pilkington inquest jury

Police and two councils have been criticised for failing to help a single
mother and her disabled daughter who were found in a burning car after years
of abuse from a gang of youths.

Fiona Pilkington (left) and her daughter Francecca HardwickPhoto: PA

8:14PM BST 28 Sep 2009

The jury at the inquest of Fiona Pilkington, 38, and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca Hardwick, found that the police's failure to respond to the family's pleas for help contributed to their deaths.

The jury criticised a failure to share information between the police and the local council as one of the reasons why they did not respond to the calls for help.

Ms Pilkington committed suicide when she set light to her family's Austin Maestro while she sat in the driver's seat alongside her disabled daughter Francecca.

The inquest at Loughborough Town Hall heard that Ms Pilkington, her daughter and her son, Anthony, a severe dyslexic, suffered more than 10 years of abuse from a gang of teenagers living on their street in Barwell, Leicestershire.

The jury found that Ms Pilkington killed herself and her daughter "due to the stress and anxiety regarding her daughter's future, and ongoing anti-social behaviour".

The jury ruled that Ms Pilkington unlawfully killed Francecca when she set light to the family car in a secluded lay-by at the side of the A47 near their home in Bulwell, Leicestershire, on October 21, 2007.

The jury also found that Ms Pilkington committed suicide.

As part of the inquest at Loughborough Town Hall, it was then asked to report on whether the response of police and two councils contributed to the deaths of the pair.

To the question of whether the police properly responded to the 33 calls made by Ms Pilkington over 10 years about anti-social behaviour, the foreman answered that the police's failure had an impact on Ms Pilkington's decision to unlawfully kill her daughter and commit suicide.

He added: "Calls were not linked or prioritised."

Asked whether Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's response to complaints of anti-social behaviour contributed to the deaths, the foreman added: "Prior to February 2007, actions to control anti-social behaviour were not evident."

The jury also found that Leicestershire County Council failed to properly help Ms Pilkington and her family.

The foreman said: "A referral was not made for a professional assessment of Fiona's state of mind."